The ballots are counted, the slogans shelved, and the conversations about Australia’s energy future are well underway.
As the mandate for clean energy firms, the real work begins – not in campaign talks, but in grid connections, community engagement, and reforms.
With geopolitical currents shifting and domestic policy settling after Australia’s Federal Election, renewable infrastructure developers find themselves at a strategic inflection point.
For Ben Power, Industry Director, Power Generation and Storage at leading design, engineering and advisory company Aurecon, that shift represents not just a change in sentiment but a window of opportunity for the wind sector to evolve.
“I’ve been spending time with our clients to understand how they’re feeling after the election,” Power said.
“I think generally it’s a really positive situation. Maybe a bit of a relief that now there is a clearer path, or perhaps certainty, around what they need to do.”
According to Power, the situation is enabling government and industry to move beyond speculation and toward overdue structural reforms. These include improvements in environmental approvals, grid connection processes, and transmission planning, longstanding friction points for Australia’s wind energy sector.
“There’s a shift from worrying about which way things would go to now being able to get into those key issues,” Power said.
But the domestic mood is only part of the story. International dynamics, from the growing US appetite for wind to the global expansion of Asian and Chinese original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), are also reshaping the landscape in ways that could ultimately benefit Australia.
“We might see increased interest and expansion into the Australian market from original equipment manufacturers and the supply chain, as well as developers in the US,” Power said.
With global players scouting new markets, Australia could see enhanced supply chain availability and fresh development capability.
“With that increased supply base and competition, will we see a shift in the Australian supply chain because of those factors?” Power said.
It’s a question the industry is watching closely.
Scaling up, smarter
As wind projects grow in size and complexity, the traditional playbook is no longer enough. The next generation of developments demands smarter, more agile approaches from design through to delivery.
“The first generation of wind farms were of a certain size and confined to particular locations. Now we’re seeing wind farms with much bigger turbines and hub heights,” Power said.
That step-change in scale introduces a cascade of downstream implications, from the need for larger ports and road access to more nuanced landholder engagement and environmental approvals. In parallel, developers are leaning into advanced technologies to manage that complexity.
“We’re seeing greater automation and the use of AI [artificial intelligence] in the electrical and road design for wind farms,” Power said.
“That’s really suitable. We are also seeing its value in tackling complex renewables, storage and transmission challenges with our generative AI pilot currently underway with ElectraNet in South Australia.”
Mass production and modularisation, long established in sectors like transmission, are also beginning to surface in wind farm design.
While development and construction have long dominated industry focus, Power believes the time is ripe for a strategic shift toward operational optimisation.
“In the past, we saw only a small number of wind assets in Australia. As we add many more wind farm assets and expand operations, that’s shifting,” he said.
Aurecon’s clients are increasingly asking critical questions about underused opportunities within existing assets. Drawing parallels to the gas sector, where asset optimisation and lifecycle value are deeply ingrained, Power suggests the wind industry has much to gain from adopting a similar mindset.
“If we unify all of the asset data and management platforms across these wind farms, we’ll see more opportunity to increase available production and revenue,” he said.
That shift is especially urgent as a new wave of developers transitions from build-and-sell to long-term asset ownership, often without extensive operations experience. With portfolios growing, from older sites to new, utility-scale builds, decision-makers are rethinking their asset strategies.
“They may decide to end the life of some older wind farms more quickly. Or perhaps reinvest and repower them,” Power said.
Either way, a new operational frontier is emerging – one where better data, unified platforms, and lifecycle thinking will define success.
For Power, the most important transformation is not technical but cultural. As the sector moves from isolated project footprints to a national patchwork of wind infrastructure, including emerging offshore zones like Gippsland, long-term relationships with communities are no longer optional. They’re existential.
“We’re going to see a greater degree of wind farms … and much more interaction with the community,” Power said. “It won’t be just about one particular company or brand having a good relationship. The whole industry needs to have a good reputation.”
That means shifting away from a ‘develop and exit’ model toward a mindset of enduring presence and mutual benefit.
Power points to lessons learned, and missteps taken, in sectors like property development.
“With wind, we need to ensure we have a strong reputation,” Power said. “From developers to build-own-operate firms, they’ll need to keep operating in communities for 15, 30, 40 or even 50 years.”
In that context, long-term partnerships are essential.
A new chapter
From geopolitical flux to emerging technologies and community engagement, the contours of the wind energy sector are shifting rapidly.
But for Power, that’s not cause for concern. It’s more of a catalyst for a new chapter of growth, maturity, and industry-wide learning – a potential generational opportunity.
“Optimising existing assets, designing for scale, building community trust, investing in operational intelligence. These aren’t separate initiatives, they’re part of a larger evolution,” Power said.
“It’s perhaps a really good outlook for the wind sector at the moment.”
For more information, visit aurecongroup.com